Actor Matthew Lillard can trigger Millennial nostalgia like few others. He was perfectly cast in the popular Scooby-Doo films of the early aughts as Norville “Shaggy” Rogers and appeared as Stu Macher in the original Scream (1996). He also had memorable roles in She’s All That (1999), Thirteen Ghosts (2001), and Without a Paddle (2004). Lillard’s career began to cool down in the late ‘00s. Although he never went away, he transitioned from a comedic performer to starring in dramatic roles, most notably in 2017’s Twin Peaks: The Return. However, now, after the lead role in the massive 2023 horror hit, Five Nights at Freddy’s, Lillard is in the midst of a comeback, starring in Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 (2025), The Life of Chuck (2024), and the Marvel series Daredevil: Born Again. Lillard talked about his recent success with a refreshing sense of gratitude and humility on a recent episode of the Phase Hero podcast, hosted by Brandon Davis. “Scooby-Doo one and two are more popular now than they ever were when they came out,” Lillard said. “So I do think there’s a weird nostalgia thing happening in our industry and in the zeitgeist, because I think that people are longing for ye olde times.” “I think that’s one of the reasons I’m having this moment, to be honest, is because I was identified in that moment, so people are hiring me again,” he added. “That’s why I’m working. I don’t think anyone really likes me. They just missed the old times. ‘Who should we get? Who’s old and relatively warm and fuzzy feeling? Let’s get Matthew Lillard. Talented? No. But do we like him? Yes.’” Matthew Lillard says Quentin Tarantino dissing him "sucked" and felt like he got "punched in the mouth" “It felt like I had died and was in heaven watching everyone send out their RIP tweets, sort of living through nice things people say after you die.”pic.twitter.com/euNqCZK6bl— Emir Han (@RealEmirHan) February 23, 2026 The 56-year-old actor’s self-awareness was also on display in how he gracefully handled some very blunt criticism from director Quentin Tarantino. Last December, Lillard was brought up in a conversation in which Tarantino criticized actor Paul Dano’s performance in There Will Be Blood. “I’m not saying he’s giving a terrible performance,” Tarantino said. “I’m saying he’s giving a non-entity [performance]. I don’t care for him. I don’t care for Owen Wilson, I don’t care for Matthew Lillard.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by Matthew Lillard (@matthewlillard) The very public diss inspired many of Lillard’s colleagues to sing his praises. “It felt like I had died and was in heaven watching everyone send out their RIP tweets. I mean, it was really being a part of your own wake, sort of sitting there living through all the nice things people say after you die,” Lillard told People. “Everyone, from the people at the mall this weekend with my kids to George Clooney and James Gunn and Mike Flanagan, I mean, people have sort of been really generous with telling me how much they loved me and liked my work.” Lillard’s response to his sudden success is a great example of someone who has been in the industry for decades and has learned how to keep his head on his shoulders. There are going to be highs and lows, but when your feet are firmly planted in reality, you can make it through them all. The post Matthew Lillard had a surprisingly humble explanation for his recent Hollywood comeback appeared first on Upworthy.